A BOOK ON ANGLING: BEING A COMPLETE TREATISE ON THE ART OF ANGLING IN EVERY BRANCH WITH EXPLANATORY PLATES, ETC. By Francis Francis.

1867 1st edition. Small 8vo (132 x 202mm). Ppxiii,429,ads. Fifteen engraved plates, five of them hand-coloured. Modern dark green half-leather over marbled paper-covered boards, five raised bands, gilt titles and tooling to spine.

The engraved plates are of fishing tackle and flies. There are several fine hand-coloured plates of classic salmon flies. Further editions in 1867 (2nd), 1872 (3rd), 1876 (4th), 1880 (5th), 1885 (6th) and 1920. One of the greatest and most comprehensive angling books. Good section on pike with plates of rigs and flights". His main book, covering every aspect of angling, coarse, spinning and fly, A Book On Angling, was far in advance of anything that had been published before. Some of it is still quoted, notably this: 'The judicious and perfect application of dry, wet and mid-water fly fishing stamps the finished fly fisher with the hallmark of efficiency.' " (From a newspaper article by Conrad Voss Bark).